Genetic characterization of banana clones grown in Turkey based on nuclear DNA content and SRAP markers

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the genetic relationships among banana clones grown in Turkey based on their nuclear DNA contents and SRAP markers. Four banana clones including 'Dwarf Cavendish', 'Grand Nain', 'Azman' and local 'Erdemli' were used as plant material. Nuclear DNA content of the banana cultivars was estimated by flow cytometer and varied between 1.766 pg ('Erdemli') and 2.028 pg ('Grand Nain'). 'Azman' contained 1.973 pg and 'Dwarf Cavendish' 1.936 pg nuclear DNA. Genetic similarities of 4 banana clones were between 0.63-0.91 based on SRAP molecular markers. The local 'Erdemli' banana clone was the most distinct from the others. In conclusion, there is a high level of genetic variation among Erdemli and other banana clones grown in Turkey and the local clone 'Erdemli' is the most distinct one. This study showed that nuclear DNA content analysis together with molecular markers could be useful to assess the relationships among banana clones.